


The Enemy of My Frenemy is the Mob

by SanguineQueen



Category: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Big Gay Mobsters, Bottom Barry Allen, Bottom Leonard Snart, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Legends of Tomorrow Didn't Happen, Leonard Snart Lives, M/M, Mobster Leonard Snart, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Phone Sex, Protective Leonard Snart, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Toys, Tags May Change, Timey-Wimey, earth 2 is a thing but it’s not, the flash season 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:35:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27601492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SanguineQueen/pseuds/SanguineQueen
Summary: When all of his friends make plans, Barry decides to tail his old pal Leonard Snart while the thief escapes the scene of a murder. Metahumans are being blamed for random crimes and the Santini are behind it all, but why? Instead of finding answers, Barry finds himself in the middle of a mob war bent on breaking out into civil war. It’s up to the Flash, with the help of Captain Cold, to stop Central City from being taken over by a new threat...and Barry may or may not have told the bad guys he and Snart were dating.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart, Captain Cold/The Flash
Comments: 19
Kudos: 63





	1. Not Much Has Changed

Barry Allen shut the door to his lab, a smile on his face and a spring in his step.

It was (thankfully) another uneventful night in Central City and for the first time in a long while, he finally had plans. A movie with some friends and eat really bad takeout he wouldn’t feel until the morning. He loved his city, but it was a miracle if he got one night of peace and quiet like this. Living as the Flash for two, almost three years now, had really made him appreciate it.

Speaking of friends, Barry almost missed his step when he called his best friend and the one and only Cisco Ramon answered on the third ring.

“Ramon Industries,” Cisco’s voice came from the line. “Chairman of the board speaking.”

”Only Chairman?” Barry asked as he dodged an officer on his way to the street. “What happened to President Ramon of Ramon Industries?”

”Apparently the name needs tweaking since _someone_ won’t let me change S.T.A.R. Labs official name.”

Barry rolled his eyes even though he smiled. “Sorry if I crushed your dreams. S.T.A.R. Labs can’t have a name change, it wouldn’t be, uh, significant if it did.”

”Yeah, yeah.” Even through the phone Barry could feel Cisco waving whatever candy he was eating in his general direction. “Keep telling yourself that, but mark my words, Ramon Industries will one day happen.”

”I don’t doubt it.”  
  
Barry shouldered his bag closer to his chest when he shut the door to the precinct. The cold night blew in his face, bringing another rush to his senses.

“So about tonightYou free today? Tonight? I’m getting out of work now.”

Cisco sucked in a breath. “I can’t tonight man...Remember?”

“Right.” Barry lightly hit his forehead with his finger. “You have that internet date. Totally forgot.”

“This is my moment and I will not do anything stupid to ruin it. You know how long I haven’t gotten any?”

Barry grimaced. “Things with Linda still bad huh?”

“We went on one date and she ghosted me. End of story.”

“Ouch.”

Cisco paused from his end. “Yeahhh, plus this new girl is super cool. We’ve been talking like a week online, so hopefully today I can actually hear her voice. Linda can kiss my ass for not staying for a piece of this.”

Even though Barry didn’t appreciate that image, he still laughed at the joke. Cisco continued to tell him about his date plans and all the video games he had set up to try to win this new girl over as Barry crossed the street to get to CC Jitters for a quick coffee run and to hopefully run into someone else.

He pulled his jacket closer as Cisco finished his monologue.

“She’s like a goddess and I’m her footman. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“How about _you_ meet her first,” Barry said. “How do you know she’s not secretly a he?”

“She isn’t! I think...Do you think it’s too soon?” Cisco sighed with happiness. “Anyways, dude, I gotta get ready. What goes best with _Raid Shadow Legends_ , soda or wine?”

Barry smiled. “Have fun on your date, man. You really deserve some downtime.”

“Oh I will. The Lab’s shut down till tomorrow, but if anything happens call me and I’ll be there in a heartbeat. Not as fast as you, but a 20 minute Uber ride later and I’ll be there.”

“I’ll keep you posted. I doubt Mardon is gonna tornado the city on a Thursday, but you know how these villains go.”

“I’ll personally fight Mardon if he interrupts my date,” Cisco seethed. After a moment he seemed to think about what he said and he hurriedly added, “Don't tell him I said that. Good luck.”

Barry hung up with another short chuckle just as he opened the doors to Jitters.

The smell of coffee hit him head on and he headed to the open register to order a Flash cappuccino, extra everything. The first taste of coffee was so good, he immediately drowned his first large cup and ordered a second, and maybe a third, for the road. As soon as he went to sit at an empty table, the door opened again as another customer walked through the door.

“Barry?” Iris said when she saw him. She made her way over after ordering and he felt a swell of happiness in his gut. “How are you? I was just about to get my nightly caffeine fix. It’s so good to see you!”

“You too,” Barry said and he offered her a seat. “It’s been like a month, right? We barely talk anymore.”

“Sorry about that.” Iris chewed her lip. She stood over Barry, refusing to take a seat and he felt his heart sink slightly. “It’s just been so crazy with Eddie you know. After Well—Thawne we’ve wanted to actually plan our wedding instead of rushing it. Some days we even work from home just to be together, but you know how it is. Never enough time in any of our line of works.”

“Yeah,” Barry nodded slowly. “I get that.”

It had been 6 months since Harrison Wells, AKA Eobard Thawne, had tried to destroy Barry’s life and his family. Most of the team had been able to pick up the pieces and move on, with the exceptions of Caitlyn who was still grieving over Ronnie’s death. Iris had been fortunate not to have lost Eddie, but there were still things fate couldn’t change. Barry had had to cope with the loss of losing any chance he had with Iris as her wedding day kept looming closer and closer as time went by.

He was happy for her like he always would be, but Barry had always thought he and Iris had shared a connection no one else shared (even if people told him it was a little creepy since she was technically his sister) and when she asked him to be her best man he had been over the moon with happiness for her.

But at the same time, he couldn’t picture anyone else but himself standing next to Iris on her big day. He would still be standing next to her, but...he wouldn’t spend the rest of his life with her.

Barry shook his head to try and clear any negative thoughts. He hoped the smile he plastered on his face didn’t look strained.

“How have things been at the Labs?” Iris said. She glanced at her phone and Barry fought the urge to bang his head on the table to get her to look at him. “I heard you’ve been doing some remodeling. Sorry I haven’t been able to swing by and see that either.”

“It’s fine, I understand. It’s been pretty good now that I officially own the deed to the Labs and I don’t have to scrape for loose change in order to eat. Cisco has already started to look into renaming it Ramon Industries, even though I vetoed the name.”

Iris laughed too quickly as she continued to stare at her phone. The barista called her name and Barry had to tap her shoulder in order for her to look up.

“Hey,” she repeated. “Sorry. Duty calls, you know how it is.”

Iris took her coffee and hugged Barry tightly with her free hand. Barry hugged her back, but the hug was cut off short when Iris pulled away to pick up her phone ringing.

“Babe?” She answered. “Yeah I’m on my way, I just ran into Barry. Yes, I got you your mocha frap like you asked.” Iris covered the speaker on her phone. “Eddie says hi, btw. I gotta go, but it was nice to see you, Barry. Hopefully next week we can do family dinner night. I’ll see you there?”

“Yeah,” Barry waved as Iris took her leave, her laughter getting cut off as the door swung shut behind her. “I’ll see you there.”

Barry sighed. His best friend was moving on with her life faster than he could breathe, and yet here he was trying to grab her attention like he always had. If only he hadn’t been a stupid teenager and had told Iris how he felt. If only he hadn’t waited and been blasted into that coma so she could run into the hands of the great Eddie Thawne instead. If only he had told Iris when he had the chance.

Life was about hundreds of if-onlys, and even as Barry took his order, he still thought about all the other if-onlys when he made his way back to S.T.A.R. Labs.

He didn’t run, instead he took his time to watch the lights twinkle and the cars pass by on the street. There were children playing in the playground as their parents called them to go home, and two dogs barked at each other when their owners met and kissed on the cheek. There were also couples walking, bundling together for warmth as the air got colder. The leaves were already turning orange as the end of October passed into November.

Central City was perfect, even if it was still overrun with Metas, and Barry wouldn’t change it for the world.

His coffee, on the other hand, thought it looked better on the street. Barry ran headfirst into someone when he turned the corner and the cup flew from his hands like it had suddenly sprouted wings.

“Ow! Hey, I’m so—“ Barry paused when he saw who he had bumped into. “ _You_.”

“Now now, Barry. That doesn’t sound like much of an apology,” Leonard Snart mused as he grinned from the street. “If I didn’t know any better you weren’t sorry at all.”

“Me?” Barry huffed. “Look what you did to my coffee.”

His cup lay on the street like a pile of mush. Snart looked at it in disgust as a car ran it over and whatever was left splashed in the gutter.

“Looks like I saved you from overdosing on caffeine. Try tea next time, it soothes the soul.”

Snart tried to push past, but Barry held onto his arm. The thief had traded in his signature parka for a simple navy blue coat. Through the fabric Barry could still see the faint indentation of the cold gun strapped to his thigh, and he wrinkled his nose.

“Where are you going? What are you doing here?”

Snart rolled his eyes. “I do have a life besides being chased by the _Flash_. If I didn’t know any better it sounds like you missed me.”

“I don’t miss your heists. You put innocent people in danger with your gun and you know it.”

Snart touched his heart with his gloved hand as if Barry had wounded him. “I see someone has a ‘tude today. Better get that checked out before you catch a cold. The weather isn’t in your favor.”

Before Barry could make a quick retort, something exploded behind him and the street shook violently. He landed on his back as people started to scatter, running and screaming inside or away from whatever was happening. There were cracks in the ground and sirens in the distance. Three police cars blurred past him, going in the opposite direction.

Snart was already standing, dusting out his coat with a flourish. “Looks like that’s my cue to leave. See you around, _Scarlet_.”

Barry hissed as he made his way to his feet. Someone knocked into him and he fell to the ground again, almost being trampled. He could see the faint silhouette of Captain Cold disappear in the crowd as more people ran passed.

Barry gave chase, almost giving himself away before he relaxed and put on a slight burst of speed. He could’ve caught up to Cold in no time if the streets weren’t so packed with people, most screaming to others to get away and some coming out of their homes and stores to see what was happening. Barry ran into a person or two, but he tried to apologize as quickly as he could.

He spotted a familiar shade of blue turn the corner into an alley and he pressed on, giving himself that slightly extra boost to arrive a few seconds after.

The alley was dark and colder than the actual street. Barry took a step forward, but was knocked back by a force that sent him tumbling back into the street.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were following me,” Snart said in his Cold drawl. He had his goggles and cold gun out, looking menacing as ever in the darkness.

Barry vibrated, even as icicles threatened to form on his hands and face. The blast hadn’t hurt as badly as the normally did, but it still stung to be on his ass again.

“What did you do?” Barry shouted. “What was that thing? An earthquake?”

“How should I know?” Cold shrugged as me made his way towards Barry, gun at the ready. “I’m as innocent as you this time.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” Barry said with a wince. Another blast hit him dead on, this time fusing his leg to the ground in a chilly layer of ice. He screamed, feeling the cold sting bite through his jeans.

Cold smirked. “Have fun getting out of that, Flash. It’s been a pleasure.”

With that, Snart headed back into the crowd where he disappeared. It took Barry five minutes to get out of the ice, but by that time he knew it was too late to try and find the thief now. He held his head, even as his teeth chattered and headed to the scene of where the tremors had originated, stopping a short distance away to jog in case anyone was watching.

There was already a reporter on the scene of the crime. He was speaking into his mic, even as the camera panned away to look at an old house with a crater blown into its side. It was a mess of wood, bricks, and roof tiles as more pieces of the house fell in large chunks.

“—The house was abandoned by the late Rafael Santini and five casualties have been reported,” the reported was saying. “Let’s check back in to our local CCPD police chief, Captain Singh for more updates.”

Barry found the captain talking to one of the other police officers on the scene, but he broke away when the reporter approached him, practically thrusting the microphone into his face.

“There is no further evidence to believe this was a metahuman attack,” Singh said to the camera. “Rest assured the CCPD is on the case to find out what happened and how we can protect the city.”

“There you have it,” the reporter explained. “The city can sleep well tonight knowing law enforcement is on the scene. More details to follow.”

The camera crew moved away to go interrogate some other witnesses on the scene. Barry was able to sneak past them, hop over the caution tape, and make his way to Captain Singh without being noticed.

“Allen,” Singh nodded when Barry stopped in front of him. “What are you doing here? I already have a CSI on this case.”

“I was close by when I heard the explosion and I came to help. What happened here?”

Singh motioned to the perimeter. There were already two body bags being escorted in an ambulance and two more being taken from the house. Peeking out from one of the bags was a hand, charred and red that looked like it had been cooked.

“We are looking into it, but witnesses say there was an explosion in this house,” Captain Singh said. “Only those inside the house were hurt, but the ground is unstable. I’d advise you to stay back.”

Barry rubbed the back of his neck. There was no way he was going to stay back from this. This was all wrong. “Are you sure, sir? As long as it wasn’t a metahuman attack I can take a quick—“

Captain Singh looked tired, even as he raised his voice in annoyance. “We are looking into it, Allen. Go home.”

Barry could only obey as he was escorted off the premises with the rest of the crowd. He tried to call Joe, but it went straight to voicemail as more sirens drowned out what was happening. People filmed while more police arrived on the scene, but Barry couldn’t see anymore than that. Too many people blocked his view and there was no use staying if Captain Singh wouldn’t let him take a look.

He still couldn’t get the burned hand out of his head, but there was no way he could super speed inside and see anymore damages. He’d have to wait like everyone else.

Barry trudged through the crowd at normal speed until he got far enough for him to run home. He arrived at Joe’s front porch and let himself in without another word. He didn’t know if it was from the cold or the horrible explosions, but he felt numb, his stomach was in knots, and he lost his appetite.

Still, he ransacked the kitchen at super speed, made a list of all of the groceries he needed to get tomorrow, trudged up the stairs, and showered quickly before climbing into bed. A bag of popcorn, some cold turkey, five peanut butter (hold the jelly) sandwiches, and six half frozen burritos plus whatever leftover rice and beans in the fridge were his dinner. Barry basically inhaled his food while he turned on the tv to see the news.

It was only 8pm and he was already bored out of his mind watching a repeat of yesterday’s news until today’s coverage was aired nearly 20 minutes after he had finished eating.

A meteorologist stated the weather forecast while sad little snowflake cutouts danced in the background and Barry had to laugh at the nod to his enemy (frenemy?). Sure he hadn’t caught Snart this time, but he still couldn’t stop thinking about what he would’ve done if he had caught him.

Snart had escaped with plenty of time and there had been no other calls for bank robberies so chances are the thief was home, or laying low. Did Snart even have a home? Like an actual home address?

Rather than think too much about it, Barry checked his messages and sent a few of his own. There had been nothing from Caitlyn, but that was always normal, and Joe had sent him a quick text saying he was needed at the precinct till late. Iris had repeated what she said about family dinner and the group chat with Wally in it was still silent while Wally came back from his college trip to Star City for the weekend. Cisco had sent Barry three texts and two photos showing himself in headphones playing online with a blocked out person named SkaterGG. Barry shot him a quick thumbs up with a few more emojis showing his support.

There was a commercial break and Barry raced downstairs to grab a tub of ice cream and extra large spoon. The covers were still warm and he snuggled further into his bed while the news report anthem rang in the background.

“Breaking news,” the tv announcer said. “There were no reported crimes tonight as police are left to clean up the scene of a bomb tearing apart a local mansion belonging to the Santini family. At least six people have been pronounced dead. The scene is contained as more police are on the scene. Local analyst Rick Tyler is next to keep us updated on the scoop.”

Barry drew in a deep breath. At least six dead. Sometimes he really hated the news, but it came with the territory of being both a superhero and a CSI. Death was inevitable, even if innocent people didn’t deserve it.

Reporter Rick Tyler — the same reporter Barry had seen — was still voicing his thoughts.

“I don’t know about you, Gale,” Rick said. “But I feel there’s a storm coming. The weather is changing and so is life for our dear Central City. How many more metas need to pop up before the Flash does something? How many more people need to die before this is taken care of?”

“But this wasn’t a metahuman attack,” Barry almost screamed at the tv. “This isn’t their fault!”

The reporter continued as if hadn’t heard him.

“This just in, Gale. We have not heard a public statement from the Santini family yet, but rest assured we will be keeping a close eye on this story as it unfolds. Are metahumans to blame? Stay tuned.”

Barry turned off the tv and threw the remote to the side. It landed on the carpet with a _thump_ and he resisted the urge to throw something else.

The news was always looking to blame metahumans, regardless of the crime. It was wrong and it made his stomach feel sick knowing not everyone was regarded as a hero like himself. Even he was called out for his own actions, the police even threatening to take him in for questioning for his vigilantism.

Barry chucked his pillow and tried to fall asleep even as his brain was unable to power down. He felt mentally exhausted and yet his body wouldn’t give in to the sweet reprieve of sleep. The words metahumans and murder and the bloody hand came rushing to his head, even as he closed his eyes to try and block out everything.

It was about 5 minutes later that Barry decided sleep wasn’t coming and he got out of bed to rummage around the house.

He considered calling Cisco to see what he was doing, but didn’t want to interrupt him. Caitlin’s phone immediately went to voice mail, and so did Iris’s. He even tried Eddy a few times, but when that went nowhere Barry collapsed again in his bed.

He was restless, anxious, the Speedforce thrumming inside his veins like it was threatening to explode. He needed to do something, and he needed to do it fast.

So, Barry ran.

At first it was a quick lap around the house. Then it turned into two. Then it was a run in the neighborhood and finally a run around the house, and the neighborhood, and then to the precinct and then to S.T.A.R. Labs.

Everywhere he went it was quiet, and Barry sighed as he turned on the lights to the S.T.A.R. Labs computers. The mainframe booted up as Barry drowned a large jug of water and some of Cisco’s awfully tasting energy bars so he wouldn’t pass out. The air conditioner kicked in and the low hum managed to soothe Barry enough to sit down on one of the swivel chairs.

There was nothing to do in the labs either besides try and organize the desktop files by order of color and year.

It was long and boring, but when Barry was done with that he sat back and decided to check the clock, rationalizing that it was probably pretty late and he should go home soon.

The time read 8:42 and Barry almost bashed his head against the desk in frustration.

Everything was going so slow, even the mouse on the screen was slow as Barry double checked and then triple checked that each file was in its correct place.

He was about to power it down and actually go home to mope when one of the larger files poked his interest. It read: TOP SECRET Santini Family Database Files.

Hm. What could be in there?

Barry clicked on the file and was immediately hit by hundreds of articles at once showing different members of the Santini family shaking the mayor’s hand, or cutting ribbons, or saving puppies from trees. He also found some incriminating evidence tying different Santini brothers and cousins to dozens of murders spanning back at least a few decades. One such file was recent, but there had not been enough evidence to convict Santini to the crime. Instead he was left on house arrest until further notice.

In fact, most all of the other articles had the same formula: a Santini member accused of a crime, lack of evidence to fully tie them to the scene, and then acquitted and the case thrown away.

Barry wrinkled his nose and he learned more, even doing a quick google to search as much as he could.

On one of the last files Barry clicked on, it detailed a speech Rafael Santini had made a few years prior to the mayor right before he had died. Death was causes unknown, but there was still a list of people suspected of killing the Don.

Barry scrolled lower and his eyes felt heavy. He yawned. All of the information must’ve been getting to him because his brain was slowly shutting down and his body was tipping forward.

_No!_

He shook his head and ran to the bathroom quickly to splash water on his face. He was almost done reading, almost close enough to know maybe what had happened and who wanted to bomb a Santini mansion in the first place.

On the last page of wanted suspects, Barry’s skin grew cold and he had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing it right. He almost fell off the chair when he verified that the records were right.

In front of him was a photo of the one and only Leonard Snart staring at the camera in disgust. Even though it was a pretty old photo, Snart was unmistakable with his piecing blue eyes and jawline. His hair was dark and his skin was younger, but it was clearly him.

Barry sucked in a breath. If this was what he thought it was he needed to find Snart and he needed to do it fast.  
  


He was the ticket to finding out what was happening to the Santini family.


	2. Out of the Frying Pan

Barry didn’t know whether to jump for joy or turn around when he found Snart’s motorcycle crudely hidden under a tarp in the back of Saint and Sinners. He had snuck out of his room just as Joe had arrived, and ran as fast as he could without his tennis shoes smoking. The crude angel and devil sign gleamed as the neon lights blinked, and the door creaked loudly when it shut behind him.

Automatically Barry was hit with the smell of alcohol and dead dreams. He wasn’t nicely dressed, just in a normal t-shirt, jeans, and a zipped up jacket, but he still felt very out of place next to the grunginess of the other patrons. A young lady wearing a skimpy black dress and six inch heels approached him with clear distain on her face. The others sitting at the bar kept giving him weird looks.

“Ya gonna order or what buddy?” The lady asked in her accent. “Ya’re hoggin’ up the entrance zone.”

Barry moved to one side just as he was pushed out of the way by three burly bikers who looked like they ate school bullies for lunch. Their biceps had biceps, and a punch by one of them would really hurt, even with Barry’s fast healing abilities.

“What ya lookin’ at, pint?” One guy growled. Barry tried not to shrink in on himself. “This bar is for adults only.”

“I—I didn’t—“

Someone whistled and instead of grabbing Barry and putting him in a headlock, the biker subsided like he was a trained animal. The other two bikers who flanked their leader parted to reveal Captain Cold himself lounging at one of the booths like he owned the place.

Maybe he did own the place because Barry found himself dragged to stand right next to Snart and the thief grinned at him from his chair.

“Why don’t you take a seat,” Snart said with a slight growl to his voice. The three bikers left back to the bar and Barry relaxed enough to sit down.

Snart looked him up and down before drowning the rest of his drink. Barry could smell the alcohol from a mile away, but Snart took no notice, finishing the large glass and slamming it on the table.

“What do you want?” He said coldly.

Barry stood his ground and refused to look away from Snart’s piercing blue eyes. Even though they were pretty to look at there was still danger and a double meaning beneath the irises.

“Information on the Santini family,” Barry said slowly. He repositioned himself under the table so he could tap his foot without anyone noticing. “I heard you know a lot more than I think you do.”

Snart quirked an eyebrow. “And you think a bar infested with the local riffraff is the best place to be trading that type of information?”

Barry looked around. There was no one in their remote vicinity, but then again Snart had a point. There were still people talking at the bar, the bikers growling from another booth, and the lady in black showing more people to their seats.

Snart must’ve taken Barry’s silence as a victory because he leaned back into the booth like a cat watching a mouse. “Exactly. That’s the difference between you and me, Barry. I always have a plan. I always come prepared.”

“I have a plan—” Barry shot back. Snart held up a finger as if he hadn’t been interrupted.

“Your so called team never thinks ahead and this is why they send you into danger without scoping out the place. What would’ve happened if I wouldn’t’ve been here? The Brook Brothers can get nasty when it’s past their bedtime.”

“The Brook Brothers? You mean the bikers?”

Barry watched as one of the bikers picked their nose and another chewed his burger to the point meat was dripping down his chin.

Barry smiled a little when he turned to face Snart again. “You know I have superpowers, right?”

Snart rolled his eyes. “If you didn’t I would’ve already gotten rid of you. But how would you be able to use your lighting fast reflexes here? In the open? Surrounded by criminals who would kill to know you secret identity.”

Before Barry could answer, a waitress brought over a plate of fries and a burger the size of Barry’s head to the table. She winked at Snart and he purposely turned away until she left with a pout.

“That was rude,” Barry said as he practically salivated with how good the burger looked.

“What? You think Captain Cold says thank you?” Snart popped a fry into his mouth. “Don’t make me laugh, kid.”

Barry huffed. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but Snart was making things downright difficult. The thief must’ve had the same idea because his scowl deepened.

“Might as well order if you won’t leave me alone.”

Barry stole a fry before Snart could comment and waved the waitress over to their table with a triumphant grin. He ordered a simple burger with an extra helping of fries and his stomach growled in agreement, even as Snart arched his eyebrow again and didn’t touch his own burger.

“Why does this scene sound so familiar? You ask for my help, you offer something in return, I agree to your long and boring list of terms, the plan goes to hell, and I get away scott free.”

Barry’s smile faded and a spark of anger shot through his stomach.

“Ferris Air was a good plan,” he said, trying to keep his voice down. “If it wasn’t for you, those Metas wouldn’t be out on the streets.”

“If it wasn’t for me, those people would’ve been shipped off to an island in the north China sea. Can’t help you if you can’t see how your righteousness has consequences, Barry. Accept that you lost and move on. There’s bigger games to win, bigger scores to settle.”

“You’re right,” Barry said after a moment. Even admitting that hit him a little hard. “There are bigger scores to settle, starting with the Santinis. Tell me what you know and I won’t speed you down to the station for questioning. I’m sure they’d love to have a word with you too.”

“Not so fast,” Snart said with a snarl. “We have a deal and I know you’re too much of a good boy just to break it now. I’m not going anywhere, and you know it.”

“That so?”

”I see heroes get cocky too.”

They stared at each other, two opposing forces one just as stubborn as the other and neither wanted to concede. The bar was deadly quiet, or maybe it was just in Barry’s head that all eyes were on him and Cold, just like when they fought in costume.

Snart was the first to look down when Barry’s burger arrived, but they still hadn’t stopped giving each other death glares.

“You have two minutes,” the thief said. He pushed Barry’s burger forward. “Tick tock.”

Even though time was ticking, Barry ate quickly, almost choking on the last piece of his burger in order to say his story. He recounted the events at the crime scene and then mentioned there was a file with a Snart’s name on it indicating he had previously worked for Rafael Santini. Snart listened intently, never looking away as Barry not only finished his own fries, but started stealing more of his.

“And that’s when I got the bright idea to ask you myself,” Barry said as he ate the second to last fry on both of their plates. He went to go grab the last fry, but left it be just in case Snart wanted it. Snart didn’t say a word, only pursed his lips and rubbed his temple in thought.

“So you gonna help me or not?”

“Let’s say I do,” Snart said slowly. “What’s in it for me? Your team can’t offer me anything I’d want at the moment, and you’re not exactly up for upgrading my gun.”

Barry nodded. “I don’t think Cisco would appreciate upgrading your gun anytime soon. I would owe you a favor. That’s pretty big if you ask me.”

Snart shrugged. “Maybe. Are their guidelines to this cheque before I can cash it in?”

“I won’t steal for you,” Barry said as he counted on his fingers. “I also can’t leave you alone until you withhold your end of the bargain. Oh, and this favor would be only for me. You leave the rest of my team out of it.”

“Rest assured for what I’m thinking I won’t need Ramon or the dear good doctor breathing down my neck.”

There was another pause. Snart actually took the last fry Barry had left on his plate, turning it this way and that as if he was inspecting a precious gemstone.

“So you’ll tell me what you know?”

The fry fell back onto the plate.

“Fine.” All traces of their conversation left Barry’s body as he relaxed. “As soon as we go somewhere more private. No telling what people here in these places.”

Barry resisted pumping his fist into the air as Snart wrote down an address on a napkin. He was about to take it when a someone spoke behind him, the voice almost next to his ear in a gruff whisper.

“Well well well, if it ain’t my good pal Lenny Snart.”

Barry turned to find five men in suits flanking a younger looking gentleman in pieces of grey and charcoal black. The man’s voice was raspy, like an old man, even though his face was young and once upon a time he would have been good looking if not for the large scar across his forehead.

No one moved and for the first time, Barry saw how quiet it really was. Saints and Sinners no longer had people ordering drinks or talking wildly amongst themselves. The bar was empty, almost abandoned, and these men look wildly out of place like from a scene their fancy attire,.

“Can I help you, Matteo?” Snart‘s tone change drastically as he regarded the men with his hand. “Or is my fist just itching to drill a hole in that ugly face of yours?”

Matteo barked out a laugh even though it was clear the comment had angered him. “You think you’re so funny, Cold, but you can’t hide here forever. By brother’s the new Don now that my father has...stepped down.”

Snart chuckled darkly. “I’m sure he had a lovely time while you shot him in the head. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He stood up and motioned for Barry to do the same even as the men closed in around the table. “I was just leaving.”

Barry followed Snart out of the booth to leave when he almost ran right into the brick wall that was one of the men in suits. A hand appeared from nowhere and tightened on his wrist, strong enough to pose a threat. He turned to fight, but found himself instead being dragged off the ground to dangle a few inches. One look from Snart told him to stay still and Barry fought internally to not give away his speed.

“What have we here?” Matteo stalked forward. “Have a little whore under the table, eh Cold? Must be bad to wanna sneak out and not offer the rest of us some sugar.”

Snart sneered and Barry was pulled away from the men. His fists sparkled with electricity and Snart must’ve noticed it too because he pressed a gentle hand on his arm to steady him.

“Not saying anything?” Matteo continued to goad. He smiled and all of his teeth were gold. “Maybe he’s not a whore, but a rat.”

Barry shoved his way past Snart, tightening his fists to the point where his nails cut his palms. Speed or not, no one talked to him like that. No one talked to anyone like that. He was automatically reminded of his middle school and high school glee club years where the jocks picked on him to the point where Barry had almost given up his dreams of becoming a scientist. Well, not anymore! Barry was prepared to go toe to toe with any bully before they pushed him around again, especially the likes of the ugly Matteo whatever his name was.

“I’m not a rat and you better get out of our way,” Barry snarled. He could feel Snart’s eyes boring into the back of his head. “Do you know who we are?”

Matteo regarded him like one would regard a dead lizard on the side of the road. “I know who he is, I don’t know who you are.”

Barry’s eyes snapped up and before he knew it he was having diarrhea of the mouth. He couldn’t stop the words as they came out, but it was already too late.

“I’m his boyfriend. Cold is my boyfriend. So if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to get back to our date.”

Nothing could be taken back. No amount of running away or possible time travel could reverse what he had said, and Barry felt his insides squirm uncomfortably and his face grow hot with anticipation. He waited for the strong whirl of the cold gun to ice him square in the chest, or Matteo and his disgusting band of thugs to open fire, or the space time continuum to fall apart, but none of that happened.

Instead, all eyes snapped to look not at Barry, but at Snart who was silent and stone faced. Matteo’s face alone was priceless, frozen in an ‘o’ shape of open shock, and his goons stood around him clearly as uncomfortable as he was.

“This true?” He asked Snart who in turn continued to glare at Barry. Barry willed every god on earth to pray for him in that moment, trying so hard to give his best _do as I say_ glare in return. 

“Yes,” Snart said after a long pause. His lips quirked into his signature grin and Barry was once again pushed behind him. “We were having a discussion when you came in. Must’ve lost track of time.”

“Track of time eh?” Matteo whistled and tried to get a better look at Barry. “He’s cute, for a scrawny boy on the street. You always been a pedo, Cold?”

Barry’s head snapped up so fast he must’ve used his speed. “Hey! You can’t talk to him like that.”

Matteo laughed. “Looks like the kid’s got some teeth. You sure know how to pick ‘em, Cold.”

Barry basically shoved Cold aside to wag his finger in Matteo’s face. Snart said something intangible behind him, but he was so mad the speedster started seeing lighting flashes.

“You wish you were as good as Cold,” Barry bragged. “Hell, his face is better than your whole crew combined. Now take your rude attitude out of his territory or else.”

Matteo stared down at Barry as if he had suddenly grown another head. “Got a name, shark tooth?”

“Sam,” Barry said on instinct. It came out so naturally he didn’t even blink. “If you’ll excuse us.”

Barry grabbed Cold by the cuff of his jacket and marched off without another word. He could feel Matteo’s evil eyes follow him outside, and even as he slammed the bar door shut he couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched. Meanwhile Snart still had a tight line of annoyance on his face even though a grin tugged at the side of his mouth.

“If you don’t get us out of here in three seconds I will personally ice you,” he said in a calm voice. He thrust the napkin he had been writing on into Barry’s hand and Barry grabbed him by the sleeve to run them to the location.

The wind whipped around them as they took turn by turn to stop at the outskirts of Central City. Barry looked at the napkin and double checked the area, but this was it, an abandoned warehouse building by the canal that looked like it hadn’t been lived in for a good 20 years.

Snart grumbled a complaint as he dusted off his coat jacket and headed to unlock the security padlock next to the iron door. Barry persisted to look away as he put in a series of numbers and letters into the lock and a resounding beep opened the door with a whine so loud it crawled up Barry’s skin.

”Get in,” Snart said as he strolled through the door. Barry followed and the squeak of metal closing behind him made him jump.

From the outside, the warehouse looked rundown, old and abandoned, and from the inside it didn’t look any better. There was a ratty couch in the corner with the pillows collecting dust, a kitchenette with only a mini fridge, and a long table sporting a collection of blueprints neatly organized in piles. The lights flickered on and off and Barry found himself watching Snart pace back and forth across the room, almost making tracks in the carpet.

“Now I have to make a plan and fix this,” Cold muttered to himself. “I could get Mick to help me scare them, or kill them. Whatever comes first.”

”No killing,” Barry said quickly. “We have a deal.”

Cold whirled around faster than Barry could blink and before he knew it the speedster was shoved against the wall with enough force he didn’t have time to react. A fist grabbed his t-shirt so hard it forced him to keep still. Hazel eyes stared back to back with icy blue as Barry watched in horror when a fist slammed inches against his head. Snart reared back when a crack in the wall marked where his fist had almost broken the plaster.

”What the hell were you thinking!” The thief snarled. His normal sultry toned was replaced with something more harsh and deadly. “Boyfriend? Really?”

Barry tried to keep his emotions under control, but he could feel his pulse beat like a hummingbird. No, faster, as if the Speedforce was threatening to leak out of him and break out like a nuclear explosion. Cold must’ve seen this too because he hesitated, keeping a hold on him more loosely so at least Barry could breath. 

Cold wouldn’t hurt him like this. Unarmed, in his own safe house where there was no score to settle. He had hurt him before with the cold gun, betraying him at Ferris Air, and even refusing his help sometimes, but he wouldn’t blatantly hurt him over a small mistake. Would he?

“I panicked,” Barry said in a near whisper. His hand was starting to vibrate and it threatened to have him merge into the wall. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Snart’s eyes hardened further. “So you decided to tell Matteo _Santini,_ the direct ear to his brother Don Marco, that you and I are dating? You basically painted a target on both of our backs.”

Barry’s eyes went so wide he felt the dust in the room tickle his eyelashes. “And I just...I said...”

 _Oh shit._ What had he just done?

“I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”

Those words must’ve shocked Cold to the point he let Barry go and retreated further away into the room. He almost looked disgusted at himself, then his face turned back into the same smirk he always wore, even as he gingerly looked at the bloody gash on his hand.

”What’s done is done. Now, I need to go clean up your mess. I suggest you leave.”

Cold turned away and headed to the kitchenette where he pulled out a strip of gauze from one of the cabinets and a bottle of whiskey. He poured the whiskey over his hand and quickly turned on the faucet to fully submerge his bloody fist, even as he grimaced and made a small hiss.

”Here,” Barry zipped to his side and he saw Cold flinch slightly so he drew back, but still kept his hand outstretched. “Let me help.”

Cold looked at his hand for a moment and seemed to consider something before he nodded. Barry made quick work of cleaning the rest of the wound, careful to use his speed so it wouldn’t hurt. Half a second passed and Cold had his fist bandaged together in a makeshift cast so the angry gashes could heel. The thief stared at his hand in confusion.

“You used your speed, didn’t you.”

It was more a comment than a question, but Barry nodded. “I did. Problem?”

Rather than answer, Snart huffed and went around him to go stare at the table layered with blueprints, plans, sticky notes, and a neat stack of papers. Snart leaned on the table and flexed his hand before grabbing one of the blueprints and crumbling it up into a ball.

“I’ll think of way for us to get out of our predicament. You need to lay low, don’t go out too much as Barry Allen.”  
  
“I can’t just not go out.” Barry crossed his arms. “I have a job, friends. I’m a superhero for crying out loud.”

”Which is why when the Flash will play, Barry Allen will be locked away.” Snart quirked an eyebrow and turned on his signature devilish charm. “Seems you already have a soft spot for me. Can’t have you getting that for any of the Santinis.”

”I do not have a soft spot for you,” Barry said as he stuck out his tongue. He knew he was acting like a child, but at this point it didn’t matter, he had royally messed up and the situation was slowly starting to dawn on him, creeping up like how a cat would entrap a mouse before it ate him.

The Santinis were a crime family. If they wanted to, they could make Barry’s life a living nightmare. He could be fired for fraternizing with an enemy, or worse if the Santinis figured out his real identity. Matteo didn’t look like the guy who would get over an argument over a big tub of ice cream, and Barry didn’t want to stick around to find out about anyone else in the family business.

Still, there was a part of him that wondered why he was worrying at all. The Flash barely stopped guys like the Santinis because that was what the police were for, and they didn’t know a thing about ‘Sam the hacker’ besides that now he was dating Leonard Snart, of all people. 

It also didn’t help Barry didn’t know a thing about the mob or what they were actual doing, he just knew they were there and they were awful people if things didn’t go their way.

Crap, what did he just do?

He put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes. “God, I’m so stupid.”

“I agree,” Snart said from the table. “Then again you don’t always have the brightest ideas in costume either.”

Barry felt his anger flare up and he glared. “I didn’t hear you saying something better! Next time maybe I’ll let them take a few shots just to shut you up.”

Snart rolled his eyes. “We both know that’s not true; you’re too ‘noble’.” He leaned forward. “‘Sides, another contradiction wouldn’t have helped our situation. One huge lie is enough. Take it from me, laying low would be your best option.”

”Oh, so you could go rob the city blind while I take a off?”

”While that thought is tempting...” Snart’s smirked as he paused. “The city needs The Flash. In one shape or form the good citizens running a-mock would be lost without him.”

Barry stared. Was that a compliment? Was Captain Cold _actually_ complimenting him?

Snart seemed to process what he had said because he turned away to focus on the blueprints in front of him.

”Don’t let it get to your ego, kid. It wouldn’t be fun if you disappeared off the face of the Earth. If I can’t beat you down, neither can these Santini cockroaches.”

Barry huffed. “They’ll probably never see me again anyways.”

“They better not.”

If Barry ever saw Matteo Santini again it would be too soon, but then again Snart didn’t seem to be fairing any better when it came to the Santini crime boss. Judging by the small hole in the wall, there was definitely something else going on, but Barry was at least smart enough to know this wasn’t a good time.

At least he was smart in that sense.

“So what do we do?” He asked.

Snart glanced at his watch and whistled. “It’s past your bedtime, kid. Time for Sam to leave and for Barry to get to work. I have a job to plan.”

Barry laughed dryly. “Are you serious? You’re planning a heist right now?”

Smart smirked. “I never procrastinate.”

Barry stole a quick look at his phone and nearly balked. It was way past 1am and he had work in the morning plus to sneak back home hopefully while Joe was asleep. Given the events of the day the universe at least owed him that.

”I guess I should be going, yeah.”

Snart didn’t say a word as Barry felt around for the groove in the wall where the metal door had shut behind him on his way there. It creaked loudly when it opened, and he pushed it all the way to reveal pitch black outside. 

”I’ll see you around, Cold.”

Snart looked up from his paperwork. “Whatever you say, Scarlet. Now, get out before I change my mind and I keep you here to use your speed.”

Barry couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he raced out of there, tearing the track as he sped towards Joe’s. He knew there would probably be scorch marks on the carpet from his sneakers, and even bigger problems in the morning, but at least he felt a little lighter, a little bolder. It was as if something was clicking into place but he didn’t know what, especially when it came down to the Santinis.

Maybe tomorrow would give him the answers as Barry ran as fast as humanly possible without setting fire to his clothes, far far away from Snart and his new dating dilemma.


	3. Crazy Days and Crazier People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact of the day: Pied Piper was introduced in Flash comic #106, Trickster was introduced in Flash comic #113, and Captain Cold was introduced in comic #8 of The Flash Showcase series.
> 
> Another fun fact: I rewrote this chapter 3 times before I found something I liked. That’s why it took so long to update.

Barry couldn’t lie and say he didn’t hate how monotonous it felt to wake up a quarter to 8 every morning just to get to work on time. His legs felt like jelly and he may or may not have had to turn around halfway down the stairs when he noticed he was wearing two very different slippers.

Joe had been fast asleep when Barry had snuck back into the house (which he had been eternally grateful for, mind you) but seemed a little too cheerful this morning, drinking his coffee and reading the morning paper like they still lived in the 60s. Barry tried not to walk into the fridge as he shuffled his way into the kitchen wearing his too short bathrobe over last night’s t-shirt.

“Mornin’, Bar! Damn you look like a mess. What happened to you?”

Barry mumbled something he didn’t even know and poured himself a bowl of cereal. One bowl quickly turned into an overflowing mess as he dozed off, only snapping to his senses when he felt milk dripping on his front.

“Ugh...” Barry patted the milk down with his sleeve. “Can’t catch a break.”

“Rough night?”

Barry was not about to mention his rendezvous with the one and only Captain Cold last night, plus creaking floorboards had taken him at least a good ten minutes before he had made it upstairs at almost 2 in the morning, so he blamed his lack of sleep on the next thing he could think of.

“Didn’t sleep much. Work and...Flash stuff...”

Barry must’ve dozed off longer than he thought because he was suddenly shaken awake by Joe, his cereal box replaced with a tall glass of orange juice and his Honey Nut Cheerios were all a pile of mush.

“I hope you finished Singh’s report last night.” Joe rubbed his own eyes. “This ones gonna be a real doozy. He wants to hold a meeting sometime next week and he needs that data.”

Barry almost fell out of his chair, now wide awake. “Meeting! Wha? Why?”

“For the Bassaglia case. You know, the ‘very dangerous’ mob criminal we tracked down a month ago. _You_ were part of that operation.”

“I was?”

To be fair, Barry’s days kinda meshed together at this point. Work was work, patrol was patrol, stopping bad guys was a real part of letting loose and having fun.

Stakeouts and long nights watching people instead of catching them seemed like a punishment, and Barry wasn’t going to remember anything like that when he already had so much to remember.

“Right. How could I forget.”

Joe shook his head and gave him a rough pat on the shoulder. “Even though that lightning gave you superpowers, I think it also fried your brain. You want me to wait for you that way we’ll both be late together?”

Barry groaned. The clock on the wall said he only had 15 minutes left to get to work on time, and while Joe wouldn’t be late if he left right now, he still didn’t have pants on, just his underwear boxers.

Barry yawned into his glass. “Nah, it’ll be okay, Joe. Thanks though.”

“Don’t mention it, son. You be good.”

Barry roughly registered Joe’s car pulling out of the driveway and he sunk lower in his seat.

Why hadn’t he called out today? Why hadn’t he pretended he was sick? Why hadn’t he thought of any of this sooner?

He brushed his teeth and put on his clothes on autopilot, only slightly combing his hair before he gave up and let it stick up like it had a mind of its own.

The disapproving looks he got at work when he came running in at regular speed— almost ten minutes past when he was supposed to get there by 8:30 —did little to cheer him up.

How was it possible he was the Flash and he _still_ managed to be late every day? Apparently no amount of the Speedforce could change that part of his morning.

“Late again, Allen,” Captain Singh said with a dismissal of his hand. “Try not to run tread marks on the stairs when you rush to finish that report on the Cassandra case. Which was due last week, might I remind you.”

Barry grimaced. How could he forget about that case when Singh had been hounding him about it the day before too. And the day before that.

“And the Bassaglia case. Do you have that with you?”

“I’ll bring it down. It’s almost done,” Barry managed to say before almost falling on the last step to try and get to his lab. Singh didn’t look amused as he shut the door so hard it spooked the pigeons resting on the open windowsill.

Barry closed the window, already feeling the faint chill of November creeping into his too loose fitting jacket. He should’ve worn something warmer or maybe put on some more layers, but there was no way he could go back to the house now when he had already told Singh he would finish this report soon, as well as maybe start on the other four he had pending.

Barry sighed, sat at his desk, and starting to write on the nearest paper he could find. It would be easier if he took notes first and then transferred them over to one document, but this was so...tedious.

Normally Barry loved working on compounds and the complex equations they came with, but Nick Bassaglia and his petty stream of robberies would definitely have to wait when it came to everything else going on in his life.

Sleep hadn’t given him any answers about this whole thing with the Santinis, and even though it had only happened last night, Barry could still feel like someone was unconsciously watching him, waiting in the shadows of the lab. His thoughts also strayed to Snart and his promise not to kill anyone. He really hoped that didn’t happen anytime soon or drastic times called for even more drastic measures.

But that was probably the lack of sleep talking, even as Barry yawned and tried not to think too much about his new problem or what he was going to do about it. It had only been one night and he hadn’t given his own name. There was no way Matteo Santini or any other member of their crime family was going to get to him.

Barry was finally able to focus on the his second batch of notes when his cell phone rang, completely breaking his concentration again. He answered on the second ring, already knowing it was Cisco by the Ghostbusters ringtone.

“This isn’t a good time, Cisco.”

“Dude,” Cisco answered. Barry could tell he was was grinning even through the phone. “You’ll never guess who’s causing trouble again.”

Barry’s head automatically hurt when he froze writing a sentence. If Cisco said it was Captain Cold he was going to—

“It’s Axel Walker,” Cisco pressed on. “But get this, Trickster was last seen robbing, not a bank, but a toy store. A toy store, Barry! You have to get down there now.”

Relief flooded through Barry so fast his head spun. It wasn’t Cold, it was only Trickster. This would be easy.

”Just a toy store? What’s next, is Heatwave going to try and rob a

complaining about the new PS5 prices. Which I think are also outrageous—”

“Wait, he’s causing trouble?” Barry moved the phone to his other ear, already starting to pick up some of his things. “Do I need to speed down and check out the area? Are there any bombs in place? Please tell me the other Rogues—“

“Barry,” Cisco interrupted and Barry momentarily stopped mid sentence. “Slow down, man. I haven’t gotten any calls about a robbery or some ice or fire decorating Main Street. I just thought it was funny that Trickster would wind up trying to buy a new game console instead of stealing one. You have to admit this is kinda hilarious.”

Sure, Barry could admit that was kinda funny, but how did he knew Trickster wasn’t plotting anything else? How did Cisco know?

He shouldn’t be leaving the precinct, especially with Singh still biting his heels about the reports he had to turn in, but one little fight with Trickster wouldn’t hurt. Barry didn’t stay in his lab to find out.

“Where?” Barry asked as he closed his lab door and slipped down the stairs to the bathrooms where it was empty. His voice echoed weirdly when he talked again. “Cisco, can you hear me?”

“Magellan and 5th,” Cisco said. “But Barry, I don’t thin—“

Barry was already gone, tearing out the backdoor so fast he felt his shoes would not thank him later. He could see the colors of the cars pass him as the S.T.A.R. Labs building came up in the distance and he ran even faster, kicking up the gravel just outside the Lab’s door.

The white of the halls blurred into view and Barry barely stopped himself from knocking into Cisco when he skidded into the cortex. The wind from his speed picked up whatever papers were on the desk, and Cisco tablet almost flew from his hands in shock.

“Don’t do that!” Cisco fumbled with his tablet, caught it, did a little dance of victory, but then dropped it. “Aw man.”

“Okay okay.” Barry patted down the flames forming on his jacket sleeve. “I just came for the suit. Now to find out what’s going on with Trickster.”

Cisco picked up his fallen tablet and inspected it for damage. “That’s what I was gonna tell you before you so rudely interrupted and basically brought in a tornado with you. I could’ve gone to see what was up with Trickster. I know you’re on the clock.”

“But what if it’s something really bad?” Barry was already halfway to putting on his suit when he stopped to talk to Cisco, only his tripolomer pants and boots on with his plain t-shirt on top. “What if it’s a bomb or a trick? You know how the Tricksters work.”

“Oddly, I don’t remember Trickster Junior doing anything after his dad was sent rolling back to his prison cell. He was even acquitted after being deemed crazy, remember?”

Barry did remember, and in a way Cisco was right. Axel Walker hadn’t been doing anything for a while now, even if he was still a member of Captain Cold’s fiendish Rogues. The kid had stuck to his probation officer like glue the last time he had been spotted doing...who knows what these villains did on their down time, but that wasn’t important. Even now he wasn’t technically doing anything wrong by the way Cisco was taking the situation with lighthearted humor. Still, better safe than sorry.

“So,” Cisco smacked his lips together. “You wanna call this a false alarm?”

Barry finished getting dressed at super speed, already feeling the cool leather of his suit calm his nerves as he put his cowl on. “I’m gonna check out Trickster, just in case.”

“You do you, man. We really need to switch to no paper around here.” Barry heard Cisco mutter as he tore out of the labs, having the papers on the floor fly everywhere once again.

The wind hit his face and Barry couldn’t stop himself from grinning as he ran through the streets to the location Cisco had told him. Whenever he was The Flash, he didn’t need to worry about going too fast in front of people or the red lights making cars slow down. He didn’t look over his shoulder because no one was as fast as him. He didn’t need to worry about any of that, just his destination and the impending bad guy on the other end.

Except when he came to a stop at the simple Al’s Toy Barn where Trickster was apparently causing trouble, he wasn’t hit with the normal screams of panic or running of customers. There were people screaming sure, but not at a bomb or fireball. It was at him.

“OMG it’s him!” A group of girls stared to squeal, taking pictures in excitement. The bright yellows and reds of the toy displays didn’t help with the glare of their phones. “I’m your biggest fan!”

“Flash over here!” There was another blinding flash of a camera. “My friends’ll never believe this.”

There was actually a large crowd gathered right outside of the toy store, some whispering frantically while others turned in awe to look at him, The Flash, standing amidst a group of kids and their parents buying toys for the holidays.

“Flash?” One of the parents hugged her child close. “Is everything okay? Is there an attack?”

“No, no. False alarm.” Barry waved his hands around to calm the woman. It seemed to do the trick because she took a deep breath. “Everything is okay, trust me.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Eh, uh...Someone called about the Trickster?” He answered lamely. The camera girls barely noticed, giggling excitedly and trying to pose for selfies.

Camera flashes continued, even as Barry pushed past all his adoring fans to get to the cashier and hopefully get some answers. Everyone seemed so excited to see him, almost as if he had scheduled a meet and greet with all of these strangers and their families.

Come to think of it, even the teen behind the cash register seemed awestruck by his presence, not in fear but in sheer joy like Christmas came early.

“Mr. Flash,” the teenager spoke in wonder. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No. Maybe? My manager is handling it. There’s this kid and I think he’s the Trickster we saw on tv but I can’t even tell.”

Barry motioned to the back room where he could hear a commotion coming from the slightly closed door. “He’s in there?”

The teen pushed the door all the way open with his foot and three sets of eyes were immediately on them between the rows of shelves blocking the rest of the store from seeing what was happening. The teen flinched and moved away, shutting the door and plunging the room half into darkness with only one massive lamppost illuminating the whole back room.

There was the manager, an older guy looking like he was sweating buckets, another woman in a suit, and Axel Walker himself. Except he looked...different?

He still looked like Trickster —if Trickster was going undercover in a really bad cosplay of himself— with his spikey blond and black hair and his long blue coat with colored accents. Except, the rest of his outfit was tuned down and his normally plaid pants were exchanged for red and yellow striped jeans, and there was a large sensor attached to his leg.

He didn’t wear a mask, only a manic grin quickly turning sour.

“What do you mean I can’t preorder one,” Trickster complained, his voice growing in pitch with every word. “You said they would be available TODAY!”

“Calm down, Mr. Walker,” the woman said next to him. She looked scarier than a villain with beady eyes covered by sunglasses and a suit that could cut someone with its hard edges. She also had a needle in one hand that she was clearly trying to jam into his neck. “What did I say when it comes to manners?”

“To hell with manners, this is life or death,” Trickster said with even more punctuation to his voice. Barry was momentarily taken aback as the kid suddenly faced him, his expression going from a frown to a half smile. “Flashy boy! Could you explain to these bozos that I am not a C-class villain and deserve a preorder of my own? Please! I need it desperately.”

Barry blinked. He had to be still half asleep. “Excuse me?”

Trickster trudged forward and Barry took a step back, except nothing happened besides a long finger being pointed at his face.

“I told them to call you and we could straighten this out.” Trickster waved his finger around. “Shit is going to hit the fan soon in Central City and I am not leaving until I get my preorder. I will not be stuck at home when the mob starts to destroy people.”

“Wait, wait.” Barry stepped forward into the room and the manager looked like he would cry tears of joy. The woman still held the needle at the ready, watching him. “You’re saying you called who exactly, Trickster? And what do you mean when the mob starts to destroy people?”

Axel looked at him like Barry was crazy.

“I announced it, I knew you would come. And I’m not Trickster right now, my name is Axel Walker.” Axel looked at him with the same expression he had used many months ago when he was terrorizing the city. It was cold, hard, and calculating, and his eyes were no longer squinting with his smile. “You need to listen to me and I’m not leaving until you do. I’m _not_ crazy. The PS5, get it? DO YOU GET IT?”

Barry took a step forward just as the woman with the needle had the same idea. Axel’s reflexes were good, but he wasn’t that good because the needle hit him in the arm and he slumped forward right into the woman’s arms. She gripped him tightly, even as he struggled.

“Thank you, Flash,” the woman said in a calm and collected voice. “I was hired by child services to take care of Mr. Walker and get him to the best possible care, but he seemed to escape this morning. I’ll take it from here.”

“Are you—“

Barry closed his mouth with one look from her.

“I’m sorry, Flash, but this seems to be out of your jurisdiction. I appreciate what you do for the city and handing over Mr. Walker in the first place, but I need you to let me do my job.”

“No...Wait,” Axel said groggily. He took one last look at Barry before falling over completely limp, a dopey expression was turning up on his face. “I’m not...crazy.”

“No, sweetie.” The child service’s woman patted his head. “I know you may think that right now but I am going to give you the best care when we go home. Shall we?”

“Do you need help?” Barry darted forward enough to try and help Axel from falling over. The woman never took her cold, dark eyes off of him so he retracted his hands.

“Good day, Flash.”

Axel seemed more awake now, or at least enough to leave because he allowed the woman to lead him out without another word. When they were gone, the door left open behind them, the manager seemed to get his wits about him and he shook Barry’s hand in gratitude.

“Thanks a lot, Flash. You saved my life. When that kid came in here I thought I was a goner, but luckily that lady was here in time to save the day too. Poor thing lost his mind.”

Barry detached his fingers from the manager’s hold and shook them out when they cramped up. The manager continued to smile dopily at him.

“Did he do anything to you?” Barry asked with his eyes still on the door. There was a large crowd gathered outside, but Axel was nowhere to be found, seeming to vanish out of thin air. “Did he hurt you at all?”

The manager shook his head. “No, but he was such a strange character. You can never tell with these Metas running around. Not that you’re not one of the good guys, it’s just...you know...”

The man mimicked an explosion with sound affects, making Barry furrow his brow under his cowl.

Was this how normal people looked at metas? Axel wasn’t even a metahuman and yet people still thought he was? Why was today so weird?

He didn’t have a choice but to go back outside and get back to work where there were still no answers to what had just happened.

XXXXX

“So let me get this straight,” Cisco said while he ate a string of twizzlers. “Trickster just showed up and started talking crazy before his social service director took him away? Just like that?”

Barry ruffled the hairs on the back of his neck. “It was the weirdest thing, man. Even more than weird, almost trippy in a way.”

“Well you gotta hand it to Trickster for being spontaneous. None of us saw that coming.”

“I would agree,” Caitlyn said as she strolled in from the med bay, the click of her heels loud in the quiet atmosphere. “Seems Social Services needs to work on how they treat their patients. No wonder half of these villains break out and go back to their normal routine. It’s sickening.”

“Not to mention frightening.” Cisco bit into another twizzler. “I give it a month before he’s crazy again. They all are.”

Barry glanced at his watch. It was a little over 5pm and he had had to call in sick for the rest of the day when Joe had called to ask where he was when he hadn’t found him. At least Captain Singh hadn’t commented too much about his disappearance. Then again, he was probably too busy keeping the city afloat while Barry now apparently had to add “on call Rogue assistant” to his Flash resumé.

“Trickster always struck me as an Xbox guy, but I guess I was wrong,” Cisco continued. “I’m so glad we don’t have to deal with him for a while. Imagine if all the Rogues decided to team up on us right now? With this whole Santini thing going on? Nah, uh. You can count me out.

“Speaking of which,” Barry leaned on the wall next to the flash suit. “Have you found anything else? Anything to make Axel seem...less crazy?”

Cisco swerved his chair around to face the computer screen holding the article for Axel’s sudden and dramatic PlayStation meltdown. “The guys a nutcase. He was probably talking crazy.”

“It’s true,” Caitlyn said from her perch on the desk. “A lot of therapy involves trying to break old habits. Axel is still a child, hence wanting a new game console. He probably was rationalizing the mob since his father used to be a part of it.”

Barry shook his head. “Yeah but at a time like this? With those Santinis burning in that house yesterday? It can’t be a coincidence.”

“I wouldn’t stress it, man.” Cisco said. “It’s Friday, take the day off. We both know you deserve it.”

Did he though? Did Barry really deserve taking a day off when he couldn’t shake this awful feeling in his stomach? Maybe Axel was a little crazy, but maybe in his own way he was also right. Could that be possible?

Barry sighed and listened to Cisco change topics on this great new restaurant he wanted to try. Only time would tell if Axel was actually on to something.

XXXXX

Leonard Snart paced back and forth inside the comfort of his safe house, the news of Axel and his unwanted temper tantrum growing fainter and fainter as the news dragged on from his shoddy TV.

Even though this was technically safe house number 4, it was one of Len’s favorite when it came to casing new robberies. As one of the least populated apartment buildings in the heart of Central City, it had a homey feel to it with its yellow painted exterior to make it look more cheery and the brass stairs that were regularly cleaned by management. There were only 39 residents and he knew them all by name, their general whereabouts, and though they barely knew him, he made it his business to at least be cordial if they happened to run into him.

Like this afternoon, when he had been rudely interrupted enjoying a good day.

“Mr. Frost!” An older woman had called him when he had arrived home late that afternoon from casing a new exhibit at the Central City Museum. She had trudged towards him, even as Len continued to lock his apartment door again and pocket his keys. “I didn’t think you would be at the office so late. I waited for you.”

It was Mrs. Sue, a widow with a sweet tooth, and though Len barely said a word to her, she constantly tried to get him to try her homemade oatmeal cookies. Her big, bushy hair matched her even bigger personality that Len constantly tried to avoid.

“I think your mail was mixed with mine,” Mrs. Sue had continued when Len didn’t say a word.

A stack of envelopes was firmly thrust under his nose and Mrs. Sue hadn’t waited for him to take them before turning away and heading back into her apartment, promising him cookies later should she see him.

This was how Len found himself stuck trying to reopen his door while juggling with more junk mail than necessary. This was also when a singular postcard had slipped from the pile, casually flying through the air before he caught it with two fingers.

It was a simple _Miss You Already_ post card on one end, but on the other it had a very literal playing card taped to the side like a stamp of recognition.

It was the joker card: the wild card that beats all other cards depending on the game. To anyone else, it was a simple playing card, but he knew. He always knew when it involved the Santinis and their mind games.

Dammit they were fast. They didn’t give him not even 24 hours before they were breathing down his neck, and with Axel’s tv appearance, there was no telling what the Santinis were actually planning. Leave it to the craziest in the group to sound the alarm.

So Len did the first action that came to mind; he called in a favor.

While he also also dug heel marks into his carpet at 1 in the morning.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Hartley Rathaway said from his swivel chair. He rubbed his eyes from behind his wide rimmed glasses and stifled a yawn. “Was hoping for a booty call. This is disappointing.”

Len continued to pace, trying not to think about all of the grey hairs popping out of his head because of this kid driving his patience. The pitch black of the room made the single lamp on the stand look eerie and ominous, and Len’s shadow was as wonky as he felt.

“Wouldn’t you like me to tail someone else?” Hartley went on. “Someone better?”

“For the last time,” Len said through gritted teeth. “It has to be him. Now do as I say and don’t ask questions. Otherwise, there’s the door and we can go back to being frosty with one another. The Rogues can always find a new tech person.”

Hartley put up his hands even though he rolled his eyes in clear annoyance. “As if, Cold. Whatever you say.”

Hartley got to work typing out simple commands on his laptop while Len supervised. He didn’t want to hound the kid too much or give him too much information, but he had to know exactly what was happening, so that meant babysitting. Babysitting a literal genius scientist who had an ego that made Len want to tear at the walls, especially when he was forced to listen to it.

“You should get better equipment,” Hartley said after a few more clicks. “It would really speed things along.”

“Ya don’t say. Maybe next time I plan a heist it’ll be around a Best Buy or wherever you buy your gadgets and gizmos.”

“For your information, Captain, I don’t buy my gadgets. I make them, something you don’t seem to know how to do.”

Len smirked, finally taking the moment to stop pacing and put a hand on his cold gun. It lay secure on the small dining room table, far enough not to pose too much of a threat, but close enough in case he needed it. Close enough to make a point.

“I don’t need to make any fancy gloves, Hartley.” Len took his hand off the cold gun trigger. “I have everything I need right here.”

“So you say.” Hartley pressed the enter key, nodded at the screen in satisfaction, and leaned back in his chair. “Your firewalls are installed, I hacked into those security cameras you wanted, and the Santinis have no idea about your other 6 safe houses, 2 of which look so nice I wouldn’t mind paying rent. Like taking candy from a baby.”

“If you need a place to crash for a while, take your pick. Better to keep you close just in case anything goes...off the rails.”

“Really?” Hartley’s eyes grew wide in excitement, but he seemed to calm himself and he quickly squinted behind his glasses. “Wait, you can’t be serious.”

“I’m never not serious, Pied Piper.”

Len pulled out his key ring from his pocket, unhooked one of the gold keys, and tossed it to Hartley who caught it in midair. The key read ‘Central Heights Suite 106’ in bold letters, and the genius looked at it like it was a piece of the moon.

“That’s the closest you’ll get to a thank you.” Len nodded at the key. “If you like it, rent’s due in two weeks. If not, I expect it back.”

Hartley swallowed and tucked the key into his jacket pocket right over his heart.

“A few things we should go over,” he said while he adjusted his glasses. Len moved to stand behind his chair looking at the flashing images on the computer screen. “First things first, make sure when you access the security feed it’s hooked up to this hard drive. Otherwise, the footage will be fuzzy and it won’t work correctly.”

Hartley motioned to a small black box with a usb drive wedged into a corner. It was small enough to be discreet, but big enough not to get lost in a pile of junk.

Len tapped the box with his finger. The hum of electricity fueled his efforts even further.

“Noted.”

“Also, it’s wireless so you can have it in your pocket, but it can’t be further than a good hundred feet lest you want to be looking at a tragedy.”

To demonstrate, Hartley tapped a button that had the screen freeze. The footage they were watching of two officers behind the parking lot of the CCPD vanished, replaced with those same two people in suspended animation. While they had been talking with clear interest in each other, now they were frozen statues as the picture fizzed out with blue and green lines, and then eventually died.

Hartley‘s face turned sour. “Anything worse with bad tech is outdated tech, so I went ahead and souped-up yours. I can’t promise the same for the cops and their budget cuts. You’ll have to make due with it.” He tapped a few more keys and the system turned on again, watching the two police wander into a police car, and drive out of the lot and out of sight.

“I can manage,” Len said, moving to look at one of the other screens. They were all street cameras facing the police station with one looking over into the street where a lamppost shined bright in the darkness. “Neat tricks. Any chance you could do a few more?”

“Always pleased to do a few more. Once I get paid.” Hartley clapped his hands together once. The sound reverberated through the otherwise silent apartment and the genius winced slightly, further securing the hearing aids in his ears. “You let me know, Cold. I’ll be at my new place.”

Len moved to get out of Hartley’s way as the meta packed up his bag and shouldered it with the grace of a dancer. He gave one last look at the screen, nodded, and yawned into the back of his gloved hand. The green of his sound wave gloves was very apparent in the dark.

“If you ever need anything else. You know I’m good for it.”

Len rolled his eyes all the way back into his head. “Remember to deliver the package. It needs to be done no later than this weekend.”

“Ye of little faith.” Hartley gave his best dazzling smile, heading for the door. “It’s just...Barry Allen? The puppy dog CSI who tailed Wells before he turned out to be a psychopath? Why him again?”

“Better not to ask questions.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” There was a dangerous glint in Hartley’s eyes. “You know, it’s funny you want me to tail Barry right after Axel made his little declaration to the world. What do you really think the code PS5 meant? Maybe Barry knows.”

Len leaned against the wall and turned up his signature Cold drawl. It didn’t help his trigger finger was itching, but he had some restraint, especially when it came to one of his Rogues. Sometimes.

“I don’t know what you’re insinuating, Mr. Rathaway,” he all but snarled. “The fewer questions you ask, the more we can do business. Now, get out before I change my mind.”

Hartley shrugged, even though he didn’t hide his cheeky grin. Len had to hand it to the kid, at least he had spunk under all of that plucky exterior.

“Tell Barry the suit hugs him in all the right places,” Hartley said before saluting. “I’ll keep an eye on the runt for you, but if I’m thrown in that little pipeline of theirs, you’ll be sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the plot!


End file.
